1986 Aliens Queen Costume Arm Prop Restoration

A screen used Aliens Queen costume arm prop restoration and display from the 1986 Aliens movie.

Seen in the iconic Ripley versus the Alien Queen fight scene at the climax of James Cameron’s 1986 classic sci-fi action flick, Aliens, this is one of the arms from the original movie prop costume used in the film’s production! The Aliens Queen costume arm came to our shop to be restored and put in a custom display.

The prop was in fair condition on arrival. A bit flakey and dry, and in need of a careful cleaning, but otherwise relatively intact. Restoration artist Maria Teran led the effort to conserve this prop, helping preserve the foam and latex for display in our client’s home theater. After very carefully removing the dust, and gently washing the surface of the prop, the latex and foam skin was sealed to hold any flaking paint in place. We then very carefully patched any of the more obvious damage, being cautious to maintain as much original material as possible and help conserve the piece’s value. The goal was (as always) to get the piece looking “good for its age” and not push the restoration too far and into replica territory.

To display this unique prop, we created a highly themed base with custom stands to support the arm in two places. Bent and burst pipes, “acid” melted “metal” grating, green glow from within and yellow hazard stripes, all heavily weathered in a realistic movie style all reflect the sets of the iconic fight scene between Ripley and the Queen. The last photo shows the custom acrylic cover we had fabricated to complete this display. Here at TSD, we love movies, especially Alien movies, and it’s always an honor to work on props from our favorite films!